Table of Contents

Biographical Note

George Gillespie Evans (1815 – 1904), the
active community leader for whom this collection is named, oversaw commerce,
education, and the Presbyterian Church in Newark, Delaware, for over fifty
years in the nineteenth century. In addition to managing a general store on
Main Street, Evans administered estates, served multiple terms on the Newark
Town Commission, and held trusteeships at the First Presbyterian Church of
Newark, Newark Academy, and Delaware College (University of Delaware). Brick
from his two area brick yards built the facades of many Newark locales,
including the Deer Park Hotel, Town Hall, and his own home, which still stands
today on the corner of Main Street and North College Avenue. The University
named Evans Hall, a College of Engineering building, to honor the many
contributions of the family.

George
Gillespie Evans was born in Delaware on 1 June 1815, to John Evans and Agnes (Ann) Gillespie
Evans. George G. Evans was one of six children, and the oldest son. The
Evans family, George G. Evans’ paternal ancestors, emigrated from Wales to America
in the early eighteenth century, settling near Glasgow, Delaware. His father,
John Evans, owned a general store on Main Street in Newark, Delaware. In
addition, beginning in 1783, John Evans served
as a trustee of Newark Academy, a position his son and grandson would both also
hold. Following the Civil War, George Evans also served as a trustee of DelawareCollege. When John Evans died in
1828, thirteen-year-old George Gillespie Evans assisted at his father’s general
store. Later he ran the store, and eventually gained sole ownership. George G.
Evans continued to deal in general merchandise until his death in 1904. Along
with his younger brother William D.
Evans, George G. Evans also owned and rented extensive property in the
Newark area.

On
17 June 1856, George
Gillespie Evans married Mary Jane Black,
the youngest daughter of Samuel Henry
Black. Samuel H. Black, son of David William and Margaret Ferris Black, was
born in New Castle County on 20 December 1782. He studied medicine with Dr.
John Groome, of Elkton, Maryland, and completed a medical degree at the
University of Pennsylvania. In 1812 and 1818,
Samuel H. Black was elected state senator; he also served several terms in the
General Assembly. In 1817 he married Dorcas
Armitage Middleton, daughter of Robert and Mary Middleton, of Glasgow,
Delaware; nine of the couple’s children survived. Dr. Black, too, served as a trustee
of Delaware College; in fact, at an 1827 meeting of the board he suffered a
sudden stroke and subsequently died.

After
marriage, George Gillespie and Mary Jane (Black) Evans settled in Newark,
building their house across from the Evans family’s general store. Their six children
included son Charles B. “Charley,” and five daughters: Ann M. “Annie,” Harriet
N. “Hallie,” Margaret G. “Maggie,” Agnes Armitage “Armey,” and Lena Evans. Annie Evans married a Newark dentist, Dr. H. G. M. Kollock, and continued to
reside in Newark. She was a founding member of the New Century Club and she and
her husband also provided funds to the Newark Public Library. Margaret Evans married John S. M. Neill of Montana. He was a
student at Delaware College when he met the Evans family; John and Margaret
(Evans) Neill eventually settled in Montana. Agnes Armitage Evans married
Charles W. Reed; the couple had four children. Harriet and Lena Evans never
married.

From 1856 until
1897, George G. Evans served as treasurer and secretary of the Delaware College
Board of Trustees; his only son, Charles
Black Evans, also served in this capacity for over thirty years. Church
leadership was also a family tradition, George G. Evans’ maternal great-grandfather,
the Reverend George Gillespie, came to Delaware,
building up and ministering to the Christiana Presbyterian Church in 1712; again,
George G. Evans was succeeded as trustee and treasurer of the First Presbyterian
Church of Newark by his son, Charles B. Evans.

Charles Black Evans,
son of George G. and Mary Jane (Black) Evans, worked closely with his father.
He received his A. B. and A. M. from Delaware College by 1889, and
an LL.B. from the University of
Pennsylvania. He worked as an attorney-at-law, and served the Newark community
in a variety of civic capacities. Charles B. Evans was a member of the
Constitutional Convention of Delaware in 1897, trustee for both Delaware College
and Newark Academy, president and director of Newark Trust Company, and
director of the Security Trust Company of Wilmington. He was legal advisor for
the town of Newark and served as a town commissioner. He also advised the Welsh
Tract Baptist Church and many local businesses.

Charles
B. Evans married Mary Miller Raub, daughter of Albert N. Raub and Jennie (Lovett) Raub of Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania. Albert Raub, a successful administrator in a variety of
Pennsylvania schools, was known for his organizational methods and a rich
textbook publishing career. In 1884 he came to Delaware to serve as principal
of Newark Academy. Elected to the Presidency of Delaware College in 1889, Raub
served in this position until 1897. Charles B. Evans and Mary (Raub) Evans married
8 May 1895. Like her husband, Mary (Raub) Evans was very involved in Newark
civic and social life.

This
collection also includes personal papers and legal documents for a variety of
Newark area families. The most prominent were relations of the Evans family,
members of the Presbyterian community, or served as administrator or trustees
at NewarkAcademy
or DelawareCollege.

Kerr
family members were maternal relations of George Gillespie Evans. George
Gillesie Evans’ mother, Agnes (Gillespie) Evans was sister to Hannah
(Gillespie) Kerr, wife of Andrew Kerr.
Hannah (Gillespie) Kerr was born in 1802 and died in 1880. Husband Andrew Kerr
was born in 1794 and died in 1884. The couple had six children, though only
three seem to have survived into adulthood. In the mid eighteenth century,
several of the Kerr children had left Delaware and were living in Kentucky. George G. Kerr, a trustee of Newark
Academy and Delaware College, was also director of the Casho Machine Company on
Christiana Creek. It manufactured wagon-axles, wool-washing machinery and
agricultural implements. Company stock certificates are found in the
collection.

Andrew Kerr Russell graduated Dickinson
College in 1806 as a valedictorian of the class. In 1811, Reverend A. K.
Russell was appointed as principal of NewarkAcademy. His tenure was well
regarded, and the academy prospered under his leadership. The following year he
became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Newark. He ministered there
until his death, in 1839. Other Russell family members whose papers appear in
this collection include Ann Russell
and Mary Louisa Russell.

The
Chamberlain family, headed by Doctor
Joseph Chamberlain, was another active family of Newark, Delaware. Joseph
Chamberlain was a member of the Board of Trustees of Newark College in 1833,
when an organization to open a college in Delaware
first convened. Dr. Palmer Chamberlain
built a foundry on a site nearly opposite the Deer Park Hotel in 1851. He
subsequently sold it to the Blandy family. His daughter, Hannah Chamberlain, was a prominent educator. She ran a private
school, the Newark Female Seminary, before being elected principal of Newark
Academy in 1873. Under her administration females were first admitted to the
Academy, and under a concurrent resolution championed by President William H.
Purnell, they were also admitted to DelawareCollege.

The Rathmell Wilson family moved to Newark,
Delaware, in the 1830s. Rathmell Wilson
served as President and trustee of Delaware College for many years. His brother
William Savory Wilson was a merchant
and investor in Philadelphia and Delaware. Both brothers gave significant
financial support to Delaware College.

Charles Thom(p)son, a trustee of NewarkAcademy in the eighteenth century,
also served as secretary of the Continental Congress from 1774 – 1789. Thompson’s
tenure as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of Newark dated
from 1769 to 1775. At his death the property was left by will to his nephew, John Thom(p)son, of Newark,
Delaware, another Academy trustee.

Sources:

Biographical and
Genealogical History of the State of Delaware.
Volume I. Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1899.

Chance, Elbert. “Locating the Evans House” Three Parts The Newark Post, March 1998.

Munroe, John A. The
University of Delaware: A History, Newark: University of Delaware Press,
1986

Old Bible Records with
Charts and Other Genealogical Data. Compiled by Cooch’s Bridge Chapter,
Daughters of the American Revolution, Newark, Delaware

Owen, James B. Historic
Newark Delaware: A Guide to the Vernon Good Montage of Newark,Newark Historical Society Press. p 14

Scope and Content Note

The
George G. Evans Family Papers and Supplement, spanning dates from 1717 – 1937, contain
a vast number of documents revealing the historic business accounts and legal
affairs of the town of Newark, Delaware, and some of its major institutions,
including Newark Academy, Delaware College (University of Delaware), the First
Presbyterian Church, and the Welsh Tract Baptist Church. Both George Gillespie
Evans and his son Charles Black Evans served as Newark Town Commissioners,
inspectors for the Newark Board of Health, secretary and treasurer of Delaware
College, and trustees of Newark Academy and the First Presbyterian Church of
Newark. In addition, Charles B. Evans served as legal counsel for the town and
the Welsh Tract Baptist Church.

The
George G. Evans Papers consist of fifty-one bound volumes containing over
12,000 individual items taped to leaves of paper. The majority of items were
calendared, and all were indexed in the 1950s after they were accessioned. The
volumes incorporated several gifts; most of the papers came from Lena Evans (daughter
of George G. Evans) and Mary (Raub) Evans (wife of Charles B. Evans). Other
donations – from Jane Maxwell, Charlotte Dayett Stuart, Alice Kerr, and Hugh
Gallagher – that loosely related to the history of Newark Academy or Delaware
College were also incorporated. The volumes are arranged in four chronological series,
which overlap sequentially but represent four major accessions in the history
of the collection. Consequently, much of the original provenance, grouping, and
order of the collection was lost. As a result, the collection is a quirky mixture
of personal, legal, and business papers: family letters and personal reflections
commingle with institutional plans and thousands of receipts. A scholar spending
time with this collection will be rewarded with a real sense of “who’s who” in Newark,
Delaware. A two-volume detailed index and a
two-volume calendar prepared in 1946/1947 by William Ditto Lewis are available
for use with the collection.

Subsequent
to the four accession series that comprise the bulk of the Evans Papers, the George
Gillespie Evans Papers Supplement contains a personal account book for the
Evans family, seven business ledgers, a daybook, three cashbooks, over forty
memorandum notebooks, and five diaries from the life of George Gillespie Evans.
Most of these accounts relate to the General Store on Main Street or the Evans’
brick yards. However, some notations about Evans’ various trusteeships can also
be found in the Supplement.

The
George Gillespie Evans Family Papers will be extremely helpful to researchers interested
in any aspect of the history of education. Labor historians and those
interested in faculty and staff contracts, negotiations, candidate searches,
and hiring practices will find much of interest. Records of staff expenses,
wages, and salaries from the nineteenth and early twentieth century are in the
collection. Letters of inquiry, letters of recommendation, resumes, and letters
about job performance and applicants can all be found in the collection. Other
items reveal accounts of tension between faculty and the administration or
occasional accounts of tension between faculty and students.

Those
interested in student life can trace the early development and evolution of
fraternities on campus with charters, correspondence, and building records in
the collection. Researchers can also glean much information about nineteenth
century student life at the College from trustee and presidential reports, and
correspondence about discipline, alcohol and hazing, curricular requirements,
and degree recommendations. There are also several student petitions to the
administration included in this collection, tuition bills, information about
the creation of scholarship funds, and many references to student clubs and
activities. A scholar interested in the effects of war on higher education can compare
documents from the post-Civil War closing to trustee and War Department
correspondence during World War I. There is a variety of trustee and alumni
correspondence that reveals tension about the place of military training and
drills on campus.

Researchers
interested in the history and development of the University of Delaware will
also find much of interest. Survey, property maps, and deeds, are records in
the collection that trace the acquisition of land. Receipts and bills trace the
development of this property through building specifications, plans for
strategic expansion, and complications. Trustee, presidential, and committee
reports examine housing issues for students and document the planning process
for the first dormitories. Bills and receipts for the College show the growth
of the College needs, from burgeoning water and heating demands to the
introduction of electricity and telephone lines. A scholar interested in the
development of academic research libraries or in the history of Morris Library
in particular will find many early receipts for books, and see evidence of
housing concerns, relocations, and library expenses, from cataloging
collections to librarian salaries.

Those
interested in women’s history and coeducation will also find much of interest
in this collection. The collection contains documents pertinent to a variety of
women’s schools and private seminaries in Wilmington and Newark in the
nineteenth century, including papers relating to women teachers,
administrators, librarians, professors, and students. Of considerable interest
in this collection are documents concerning the debates about coeducation at NewarkAcademy and DelawareCollege. George G. Evans favored
women’s education: during his trustee tenure a woman, Hannah Chamberlain,
became principal of Newark Academy. Tuition receipts in the collection show
that George G. Evans sent his daughters as well as his sons to secondary school
and college. For a time in the nineteenth century, from 1873 – 1885, DelawareCollege did admit women. By the
time of Charles B. Evans’ trusteeship, however, women were excluded, but plans
were in the works to open a separate Women’s College. Collection documents
trace objections to and support for this initiative and the opening of the
women’s college in 1914. Other papers debate “fair salaries” for Women’s
College faculty, comparing their earnings to professors in the men’s college. Those
interested in women’s social organizations will be interested in the documents
of the “Ladies Sewing Circle” of the First Presbyterian Church of Newark and in
the development of the New Century Club.

The
collection also provides a wealth of sources to historians of material culture.
Naturally, the account ledgers for the Evans family store show the variety of
merchandise being ordered and sold. General store accounts for textiles, sugar,
molasses, alcohol, and other supplies and services are found in the Supplement.
A family furniture inventory contains details on the household possessions of
the Evans’ family, and several Evans family houses still stand and are owned by
the University of Delaware. The vast variety of receipts found in the bound
volumes range from school furniture orders to ice cream purchases. In addition,
a series of several hundred receipts issued to Charles Thomson show his
purchases from Elliot & Morgan between 1800 and 1804. Amongst the items included
is receipt for a “Queensware Chamberpot” (#8836).

Those
interested in economic history, personal debt, the extension of credit, systems
of exchange, or dry goods merchandising will be delighted with this collection.
A researcher can easily trace the accounts of local families over many years.
Records contain itemized lists of what was purchased, how often it was paid
for, and what method of payment was used. In addition to cash payments, the
Evans ledgers contain evidence of labor exchanges, where a man might work in the
Evans’ brick yard to pay for his store account, or barter, where families
exchange items such as household-produced butter or home grown peaches for
store goods.Those interested in
Town Council ordinances and city development of infrastructure will also find
much in the collection. Records of sewer work, railway lines, telephone poles,
electricity meters, water systems, and road development can all be found in the
George Gillespie Evans Papers. A series of vellum and parchment deeds from the
eighteenth century, surveyor’s notes, property line maps, and diagrams can also
be found in various volumes of this series.In
addition, a scholar of legal history and legal practice may enjoy the papers of
Charles B. Evans. Legal documents in his possession ranged from marriage certificates
to articles of incorporation for local businesses. In addition to many deeds,
wills, powers of attorney, and estate papers, the collection contains an 1826 letter
of manumission, Orphans Court documents, a nineteenth century naturalization document,
an early twentieth century divorce settlement, and several petitions for writs
of insanity.

Those
interested in local business and industry will find stock certificates,
records, correspondence, and articles of incorporation for various local
companies including the Helio Match Company, American Vulcanized Rubber, Casho
Machine Company, and the Deer Park Hotel, during its ownership by John E.
Lewis.

A
number of other family papers will interest genealogists and researchers on
travel, tourism, and family relocation. Many papers relate to the Black family,
relations of Mary Jane (Black) Evans. Kerr family papers include many letters
to Delaware from Kentucky. Some Russell family papers, Chamberlain family
papers, and Wilson family papers are also scattered throughout the collection.

Related Collections

Several other
collections at the University of Delaware relate to the George Gillespie Evans
Family Papers. A notebook of Mary Jane (Black) Evans is found in MSS 97, Item
026. It contains addresses and memorandum written by her from 1904 – 1906. The New
Century Club Archives, MSS 260, contain papers relating to the history of the
club and the role of Annie (Evans) Kolloch. The Wilson Family Papers, MSS 303, contains
many additional letters and documents of Rathmell Wilson and William Savory
Wilson, whose papers both appear in the George Gillespie Evans Papers. The
Newark Town Council Digest, MSS 464, contains minutes from the times when
George G. Evans and Charles B. Evans served as commissioners. The Wilbur T.
Wilson Map Collection, MSS 377, includes many maps and property plans of
Newark, concentrated around the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Other
Evans documents and correspondence are housed at the University Archives; these
are primarily records from the boards of trustee on which George Gillespie
Evans and Charles Black Evans served. The University
of Delaware Archive also contains
portraits of George G. Evans, Andrew Kerr Russell, Rathmell Wilson, and Charles
Thom(p)son whose papers are included in this collection.

George Gillespie Evans Papers – Series Summary

Series I. 1851 – 1901, items 1 –
7693, in 19 volumes

Papers of
George Gillespie Evans. Includes business papers from his work as a general
merchandiser, a lawyer, and a trustee of Newark Academy,
Delaware College, and First Presbyterian
Church of Newark. Various personal papers and family papers also appear,
including papers of the Black family, relations of Mary Jane (Black) Evans, the
wife of George Gillespie Evans.

Series II. 1851 – 1889, items 7700 –
8368, in 2.5 volumes

Papers of
George Gillespie Evans. Includes business papers from his work as a general
merchandiser, a lawyer, and a trustee of Newark Academy,
Delaware College, and First Presbyterian
Church of Newark. Because Evans served as secretary of Delaware College, this
series also includes papers of other trustees, administrators, and employees of
this institution. Various personal papers and family papers are also commingled
throughout the series.

Series III. 1835 – 1903, items 8696
– 8788, in 1.5 volumes

Papers of
George Gillespie Evans. Includes business papers from his work as a general
merchandiser, a lawyer, and a trustee of Newark Academy,
Delaware College, and First Presbyterian
Church of Newark. Because Evans served as secretary of Delaware College, this
series also includes papers of other trustees, administrators, and employees of
this institution. Various personal papers and family papers are also commingled
throughout the series.

Series IV. 1717- 1937, items 8789 –
12746, in 28 volumes

This series
is primarily papers of George Gillespie Evans and Charles Black Evans. It includes
papers relating to store accounts, legal accounts, and trusteeships. Both
father and son served on the Boards of Newark Academy, Delaware College, and
First Presbyterian Church of Newark. Because both also served as secretary of
Delaware College, this series includes papers of other trustees,
administrators, and employees of this institution. Both father and son also
served as Newark Town Commissioners, so a variety of utilities papers and town
ordinances appear. In addition, Charles B. Evans served as director of both
Newark Trust Company and Wilmington Trust and Security. Papers relating to both
enterprises are also present. In addition, during World War I Charles B. Evans
served as a member of the Selective Service Board Legal Advisory Board for the
War Department.

Various
personal papers and family papers incorporated include deeds, bonds, receipts, and
letters between various Evans family members.

A large
number of personal papers and investment papers of the Kerr family, maternal
relatives of George Gillespie Evans, are included.

Additional
papers relating to the a cross section of local families include papers of the
Black Family (especially Dorcas Black, mother of Mary Jane Black Evans), the
Rathmell Wilson family, the Charles Thom(p)son family, the Russell family
(especially Andrew Kerr Russell), the Chamberlain family (especially Joseph
Chamberlain and Hannah Chamberlain), and the John E. Lewis family.

George Gillespie Evans Papers - Contents List

Item Numbers Description of Volume contents

Item Descriptions by Volume

SERIES I

1 – 1861837
– 1874. George Gillespie Evans papers relating primarily to his position as
trustee, treasurer, and secretary of DelawareCollege. This volume includes
trustee minutes, correspondence about board meetings, information about the
safekeeping of valuable Delaware College property, such as the chronometer,
during closure and the Civil War, check book stubs and cancelled checks,
letters about faculty positions, and information about the sale of land scrip
for the College. It also includes an inventory of furniture owned by the Evans
family and a variety of Black family notes, bonds, and mortgages. Papers
relating to the First Presbyterian Church of Newark include bills, receipts,
and the “Constitution of the Ladies Sewing Circle,” with meeting minutes and a
list of members.

187 – 7001874
– 1877. Evans papers primarily relating to Delaware College. College papers
include trustee minutes, meeting notes, and committee reports. A wide variety
of bills and receipts for the College are also included; receipts vary from vendors
of school furniture to the bills of Harriet Brown for cleaning the College and
washing linens, to bills from local newspapers for college advertisements.
Faculty and staff receipts for salaries received, receipts for services such as
the re-roofing the college building, and checkbook stubs are also included.
Black family papers and receipts for the First Presbyterian Church of Newark
also included.

701 – 10001877
– 1878. Evans papers primarily relating to Delaware College. Included are trustee
minutes and meeting notes, a list of faculty salaries, reports of various
committees, information on the College insurance policies, and receipts for
grounds keeping. Other bills and receipts include printing and advertising costs,
receipts to Samuel Henderson, janitor, receipts for chemicals and lab
equipment, and various expenses for the First Presbyterian Church of Newark.

1001 – 14001878
– 1880. Evans papers for Delaware College and personal affairs. College papers
include receipts for salaries and wages paid, trustee minutes, and board financial
papers. Also included are various bills for the purchase of library materials, including
the Encyclopedia Britannica, and a report on the conditions of the growing
library. Faculty letters of recommendation and faculty resolutions on honorary
degrees also appear. Personal papers include a grade card from Delaware College
for Maggie G. Evans. Additional items include First Presbyterian Church
expenses and Black family papers.

1401 – 19001880
– 1881. This volume contains a wide variety of personal and business papers for
George Gillespie Evans. College papers include many repair and upkeep receipts,
for services such as painting, carpets, cleaning crews, blackboards, plumbing
improvements, and replacement of the college bell. Other College topics which
appear include trustee information, commencement arrangements such as music and
crowd control, discussions of faculty hours, and orders for the printing of
catalogues. Papers regarding Black family affairs appear, as do personal bills
such as E. W. Haines’ bills for dental services to the Evans family. A letter
announcing George G. Evans’ election to the Newark Board of Health, personal
letters, including several from William D. Evans (brother), and tuition and
term bills for various Evans children appear, including several for A. Armitage
Evans.

1901 – 24991881
– 1882. Evans papers primarily relating to family affairs. A bill for Charles
B. Evans’ tuition at Newark Academy and a letter form J. L. Polk about his
progress at school are included. A Delaware College receipt for tuition for
Armitage Evans is included, as are personal receipts for family sewing, cloth
and clothing receipts from Wanamaker’s and Strawbridge & Clothier, and dentistry
bills for the children. A letter from Caroline C. Clark to George G. Evans
about raising contributions for Miss Hannah Chamberlain is included with
Chamberlain private school bills, and a note from Chamberlain about the
suspension of her school for the winter. Other personal papers include family letters
from William D. Evans, and letters from his son about the illness, death, and
estate of William D. Evans. Homecare and nursing are mentioned; subsequent
correspondence discusses the jointly held family properties such as the John
Evans’ House and the Main Street General Store. Black family papers and Kerr
family papers are also included. Delaware College papers include receipts for
the library purchase of the book collection of A. M. Sinsabaugh, catalogue
expenses, and chemical receipts. Also, a letter from Rathmell Wilson expressing
concerns about the town selling property to the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road.

2500 – 29211882
– 1883. Evans’ papers relating to personal affairs and business affairs. Included
are investment papers for funds in State of Tennessee bonds, personal
correspondence, and tuition bills. Delaware College papers include
correspondence regarding the financial status of the institution and fund
raising. Also, letters of recommendation for faculty positions, salary
information, vendor bills and receipts, and trustee correspondence about the
problem of students imbibing alcohol at local hotels. Town Commission papers
include information about the sale of land to B & O Railroad, road commission
surveys, and a letter about taxation and the waning fortunes of Rathmell Wilson.
First Presbyterian Church of Newark papers also appear.

2922 – 34001884
– 1885. Evans’ papers for town, trusteeships, and family affairs. Included are children’s
tuition bills, personal letters, and notes about family genealogy. Town papers
include a Board of Health action against John Pemberton for failure to remove
offal from his slaughterhouse, and correspondence about senate elections in
Delaware and local politicians such as George Gray. College papers include
notes about fund raising, checks, bills, receipts for salaries, cost
projections for new college buildings, commencement arrangements, including
music and tents, and discussions of faculty course loads and appointments.
First Presbyterian Church papers include receipts for items such as the pastor’s
salary, sexton’s wages, and service receipts.

3401 – 39001885
– 1886. Evans’ papers primarily relating to Delaware College. Included are
trustee correspondence about the vacancy in the presidency of Delaware College
and their search for candidates. Other papers include bills, receipts, lists of
faculty salaries, letters about student scholarships, projected costs for college
building repairs, inquiries about new stoves for the College and receipts to
Wilbur T. Wilson for surveying and mapping work done for the College. A letter
about the introduction of Edison’s electric lights to Wilmington, Board of Health
reports, including a physician’s complaint that the town is “distressingly
healthy,” and a letter from George G. Evans to George Gray regarding Charles B.
Evans’ newly voiced desire to study law also appear.

3901 – 42591886
– 1887. This volume contains a variety of personal and business papers. Letters
discussing women’s schools, especially the Misses Hebb School, where Lena Evans
boards, are included; as are a letter about Charles B. Evans’ pursuit of legal
studies, and an L. C. Vandergrift review of suffrage provisions in the Newark
charter. College papers include committee reports addressing student issues
such as drunkenness and hazing, letters of resignation from the president and
various faculty members, applicant information for these vacant positions, and
a discussion of reconnecting the college and the academy. Also included are receipts,
bills, wages, and expense lists for the College and the First Presbyterian
Church of Newark.

4260 – 48001887
– 1889. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College,
including bills and receipts, trustee correspondence and minutes, and applications
for the presidency, faculty, and staff positions. Other topics that appear
include the use of the oratory for a public temperance meeting and agricultural
station plans. Personal papers include family dentistry receipts, an inquiry
about the construction of a telephone and telegraph office, and letters from
Charles B. Evans and Margaret G. (Evans) Neill to their parents.

4801 – 54001889
– 1890. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College,
including bills, receipts, checks, and information about faculty positions,
wages, salaries, college finances, and state bonds. Other topics include repair
to the college lawn mower, fence painting, the College water bill, Obadiah
Henry’s bill for cleaning the College, and letters from L. P. Powell to George
G. Evans inquiring about the history of Delaware College (he was an author
writing a book about Newark). First Presbyterian Church papers include new
applications for church sexton; family papers include letters from Charles B.
Evans listing his expenses.

5401 – 58001890
– 1891. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College, and
includes bills for supplies, receipts for salaries, plans to secure federal
government appropriations, trustee meetings and minutes, faculty minutes, and a
discussion of faculty appointments. Also, some analysis of the present contributors
to and future needs relating to the financial condition of College.

5801 – 61481891
– 1892. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College,
including bills and receipts for the care of college property and its upkeep, bills
for the building of Recitation Hall, orders for more lab equipment, and more
library books. Also included are trustee meetings and minutes, new faculty
appointments, and presidential committee reports.

6149 – 65671892
– 1893. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College, bills
and receipts for college upkeep and supplies, expenses such as wages and laboratory
equipment, and further discussions about the financial status of the College.Also included are trustee meeting and minutes, a student petition for a piano
for the glee club, an Every Evening
report on the defeat of co-education measures for the College, notes on new military
drills at the College, and the formation of the Athenaean Society.

6568 – 68991893
– 1894. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College,
including bills and receipts, faculty letters of recommendation, check book
stubs, critiques and defenses of various administrators associated with the
College, complaints about the administration of Albert Raub, testimonials about
Raub criticizing or defending his performance.

6900 – 72031894
– 1895. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College,
including bills and receipts, a letter about George G. Evans resigning as
trustee, and the election of Charles B. Evans in his place, a brief
biographical statement on Charles B. Evans, information regarding Raub’s
decision to resign as College President, and a treasury report. Personal
letters to George Gillespie Evans are also included.

7204 – 74241895.
This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College, including
bills, receipts, and checks. Included is a receipt for cataloguing the library,
information about the water supply and fire protection, and information about
the installation of flagpoles and orders for flags. Trustee meetings and
minutes and a list of students recommended for degrees appear. This degree list
includes Andrew Kerr, whose family papers are scattered throughout Series III
and IV of this collection.

7425 – 76991895
– 1901. This volume primarily contains papers relating to Delaware College,
including bills and receipts for items such as a telescope and gymnasium
equipment. Receipts to Kate C. Southard, who served as College Matron and Albert
Raub’s presidential reports to trustees also appear. Alumni association funds
and catalogs are addressed; a letter recording transfer of funds and papers of
the College treasury to Charles B. Evans is also included. Trustee committee
papers address College instruction and discipline; a draft of an article on the
history of the college and Evans family letters also appear.

Item Numbers Description of Volume contents

Item Descriptions by Volume

SERIES
II

7700 – 80991851
– 1862. This volume primarily contains the papers of Rathmell Wilson, who
served as trustee and president of Delaware College. It includes Professor A.
Rollin’s scholarship subscription book, notes regarding the sale of Delaware College
land scrip, donation promises, and papers from various trustees. Also, college bills
and receipts signed by Rathmell Wilson, information on the endowment funds,
trustee meetings, and notes on the financial state of the college are included.

8100 – 82741862
– 1887. This volume combines papers of Rathmell Wilson and George G. Evans. It
includes receipts and bills for Delaware College, trustee meetings, minutes,
and expenses, information about College advertising costs, the sale of land
scrip, repairs such as plastering, painting, and roofing, and notes on the
financial condition of Delaware College. Other College topics include trustee
resignations, an investigation into faculty “discord,” reports to trustees from
Presidents William H. Purnell and John Caldwell, a list of graduates of
Delaware College, and various discussions of curriculum and College requirements.

8275 – 83681887
– 1889. Primarily the papers of George G. Evans about Delaware College; items
include trustee minutes and meetings, board actions and notes, information
about the federal grant of 1887, information about the financial crisis,
requests for resignations, complaints about the low number of students, faculty
recommendations, and correspondence about college troubles. It also contains a recommendation
of the conferral of a Masters of Arts degree on Charles B. Evans.

Item Numbers Description of Volume contents

Item Descriptions by Volume

SERIES
III

8369 – 84991835
– 1870. These items include a variety of local family papers. Prominent are Black
family papers, papers of James L. Miles including estate papers for James L.
Miles and Harreit B. Miles, Russell family papers, Chamberlain family papers,
and local property deeds and maps. Some Rathmell Wilson family papers and George
G. Evans papers also appear, though they appear to be unconnected to the College.
Newark Academy Trustee notes are also included.

8500 – 87881870
– 1903. This volume is primarily comprised of bills and receipts for Newark
Academy. John W. Evans (father of G. G. Evans) served as President of the
Academy board, so some of his papers are included. Other topics included are
insurance questions for the Academy, receipts signed by Hannah Chamberlain
during her presidency of the Academy, Delaware College receipts signed by both
Rathmell Wilson and George G. Evans, and First Presbyterian Church bills and a statement
of expenditures.

Item Numbers Description of Volume contents

Item Descriptions by Volume

SERIES
IV

8789 – 88991717
– 1803. This volume includes originals and transcriptions of early Delaware
land deeds, and includes parchment and vellum deeds with wax seals. Eighteenth
century survey notes and property maps are included. The volume includes a letter
from Philadelphia, dated 27 August 1776, from “Jonathan Zane Junior, Soldier,”
to his brother about oil prices, fragments of a 1777 child’s copy book, Kerr
family papers, Miles family papers, genealogical notes copied by George G. Evans,
and numerous receipts of Mr. Charles Thompson, from Elliot & Morgan, for
dry goods such as whisky and sugar.

8900 – 90491803
– 1822. This volume includes many additional receipts from the account of Charles
Thom(p)son with Elliot & Morgan, and his various other accounts. Papers of
John Thom(p)son of Buck’s Tavern on Lancaster Pike are also included. Local deeds,
Gillespie family papers, Kerr family papers, especially personal letters to
Andrew Kerr, Black family deeds, and an 1811 letter from Andrew K. Russell to
the committese of Delaware Presbyterian congregations are all included. A
series of receipts of Doctor Joseph Chamberlain and an 1813 petition for a public
road to be built from Newark to Elkton also appear.

9050 – 92001822
– 1829. Paper of John Thom(p)son, including receipts and personal letters,
letters to Samuel H. Black about the Democratic party in Kent and Sussex
counties and the nomination of Joseph Haslett for Governor, receipts of Doctor
Joseph Chamberlain, letters about negro slaves in Delaware, papers of Mary
Black and Charlotte Kerr, Cooch family deeds, David Evans and Ann Evans papers,
and A. K. Russell papers. Also included are lines about a visit to the “school
of the deaf and dumb,” Macbeth family papers, the Quaker marriage certificate of
Thomas Oliver and Ann Burton, dated 1826, a letter of manumission for Susan,
formerly the slave of David Miles, also dated 1826, letter of complaint about
Nicholas Ridgely, a judge in the Orphan’s court in Dover about the guardianship
of Susan R. Paulson, surveying maps, notes, and bonds.

9201 – 94251829
– 1835. Thom(p)son family and Chamberlain family receipts, notes from A. K.
Russell, Dorcas Black, George and Mary Evans, and the account of Ann Evans in
guardianship of William D. Evans, Mary C. Evans, and George G. Evans are
included. Also included are estate papers of Benjamin Watson, a tuition bill
for M. C. Evans, papers from Mrs. Elizabeth Thomson, Joel, Jacob, and Hannah
Evans, Samuel Wilson letters, Miles family papers, Black family papers, Kerr
family papers, and Rathmell Wilson family papers.

9426 – 97001836
– 1842. Primarily Wilson family papers, including letters to William S. Wilson
and Meeteer family deeds and receipts. This volume also includes Black family
papers, especially accounts and receipts for Dorcas and Mary Jane Black, Evans
family letters, and Kerr family deeds. Also, George G. Evans store accounts,
such as account books for Palmer Chamberlain and Wm A. Musgrove, receipted
orders and bills, Thomson family papers, and George Casho receipts appear.

9701 – 100001842 – 1848. This volume is primarily Evans family receipts,
for brick contracts and store accounts with William and George Evans; John W.
Evans receipts also included. Black family papers in this volume also include
accounts and receipts. Additional items include Kerr family papers, with
several letters from Mary (Kerr) Sharpe about farming in the Ohio River Valley,
Rathmell Wilson family papers and deeds, and a variety of local legal papers

10001 – 101991848 – 1858. Primarily Black family papers, including accounts
and receipts of Dorcas A. Black; Evans family receipts, William and George
Evans account records, requests for cash loans; personal papers include a guest
list for the wedding of George G. Evans and Mary Jane Black, Chamberlain family
papers, and Kerr family letters form Kentucky. Delaware College papers include
a letter of recommendation for a faculty position and board of trustee notes. A
broadside titled “catalogue of Garden Seeds raised and sold by the United
Society, West- Pittsfield MA. 1849,”is included, as are Chester County Mutual
Fire Insurance Company papers, an 1850 Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery
Certificate for lots, and Joshua Robinson’s 1850 Certificate of Naturalization.

10200 – 102751858 – 1869.Various papers of Delaware College, including a letter
revealing tensions between administration and faculty and trustee meeting
information. Also included are receipts of John W. Evans, an 1860 broadside for
“Smallwood and Company Grand All-Prize Scheme Lottery for the benefit of the
State of Delaware” and local bonds, mortgages, and deeds. Kerr family papers,
Miles family papers, and Black family papers appear. A bill from E. W. Haines,
dentist, for services to a “Black Girl,” appears, as do articles of association
for the National Bank of Newark, and Ann M. Russell’s will (later a writ for
her daughter’s insanity appears).

10276 – 103991869 – 1878. Papers of George G. Evans; includes local deeds, mortgages,
and property maps. Also, information about the Welsh tract Baptist church,
constructions plans for a Presbyterian church, Black family papers, including a
letter from G. G. Evans to his wife Mary Jane Black Evans, Kerr family papers,
Casho Machine Company accounts, records of an Evans account with Thomas Smith, a
list of Ledger balances, and cancelled checks signed by George G. Evans from
Newark National Bank appear. Delaware College vendor bills and Delaware College
tuition bills for Hallie B. Evans and Maggie G. Evans appear. Newark Academy tuition
bills for “Charley and Armey” and an 1878 schedule of College commencement
exercises and exams are included, as are tax receipts and family letters.

10400 – 104751879 – 1885. This volume combines personal and business papers
of George G. Evans. Bills and receipts, cash book pages, cancelled checks from
the National Bank of Newark, and tuition receipts for Delaware College and Newark
Academy all appear. Personal bills include charges at Strawbridge & Clothier;
personal correspondence also appears. John E. Lewis papers, Casho Machine
Company Stock, and Kerr family papers are also included.

10475 – 105261885 – 1890. This volume primarily contains local legal
documents, including deeds, mortgages, and bonds. Jex Family papers, John E.
Lewis legal papers, and a pamphlet recruiting students for “The Misses Hebb’s
Boarding and Day School” also appear.

10527 – 105991890 – 1894. This volume includes Evans family deeds and
family correspondence. It also contains Kerr family papers including letters
and deeds. Also included is a memorial to Hannah Chamberlain with a photograph.
College papers include architectural notes on college buildings and insurance
policies.

10600 – 107251894 – 1899. This volume contains papers of Charles B. Evans,
especially local legal papers and personal letters. Also included are Kerr
family papers and George G. Evans account pages, receipts, and deeds.

10726 – 108251899 – 1903. This volume contains papers of Charles B. Evans,
especially local legal papers like mortgages, powers of attorney, deeds, and
family rents. He also prepared an American Vulcanized Fibre Company mortgage,
incorporation papers for the White Clay Creek Supply Company, and the will of
an African American woman, Sarah Smith, dated 1901. Town papers for the
Delaware Suburban Railway Company and Kerr family papers are included, as are a
funeral oration, letters to Mary J Evans from husband George G. Evans about the
distribution of their estate, bonds from George G. Evans to the trustees of
Delaware College, and various John E. Lewis papers.

10826 – 109001903 – 1906. Primarily papers of Charles B. Evans; includes
letters from the Jex Family, personal letters, and Newark Town ordinances to
Wilmington Electric Company, Interurban Railway Company, Newark and Elkton
Railway Company, and incorporation papers for the Helio Match Company. Also
included are Thom(p)son family papers, a petition for a writ of insanity for
Mary Louisa Russell Hammill, dated 1904, and Newark Trust and Safe Deposit
Company papers. Papers relating to the settlement of George G. Evan’s estate
also appear.

10901 – 110001906 – 1908. Primarily papers of Charles B. Evans; includes
legal papers such as Jex family papers, a large number of wills, trusteeship of
Mary Louisa Russell Hammill’s estate, letters to stockholders of the American
Vulcanized Fibre Company, a petition for a Writ of Insanity for Edward E. Leak,
1906, and estate papers for Eri Haines, the Evans’ family dentist. Town papers
include Newark Public Schools issues, such as new buildings and facilities, and
a town ordinance banning pigs. Delaware College papers include Argricultural
Experiment Station papers, information on board elections, committee reports, and
salary reports.

11001 – 111751908 – 1909. Primarily papers of Charles B. Evans; includes
letters about the Jex family properties, the Continental Fibre Company, Passaic
Match Company incorporation articles, George Kerr’s will, and local family
documents. Delaware College papers include faculty recommendations, trustee
meetings, repairs and improvements to college buildings, letters about
introduction of coeducation at Delaware College, Kappa Alpha Fraternity papers,
board elections, and letters from Beulah Thompson.

11176 – 113501909 – 1911. Primarily papers of Charles B. Evans; includes
letters from the Jex Family about local property, papers of the Lovett family,
and papers relating to the distribution of Mary J. Evan’s Estate. There are
reports to stockholders of American Vulcanized Fibre Company as well as papers
relating to the First Presbyterian Church and Delaware College papers; the
college library is discussed. Town Council of Newark
papers include agreements for water and electricity carriers in Newark.
A 1910 “Drunk and Disorderly” charge and penalty also appears.

11351 – 115001911 – 1913. Primarily papers of Charles B. Evans; includes Town
Council of Newark papers, trustee papers, and legal papers. Some items of
interest include papers regarding the Delmarvia Telephone Company and a number
of city ordinances. Local property deeds and papers relating to the formation
of fraternities at Delaware College are also included.

11501 – 116501913 – 1914.Primarily
papers of Charles B. Evans; this volume contains many Delaware College papers.
Topics include correspondence regarding a Memorial fund for Purnell, plans to raise
private money for the College President’s salary, discussions about building a
central heating plant for the College, and building specifications for new
construction. Also included are Kerr family papers and information for shareholders
of the National Bank of Newark.

11651 – 118001914 – 1915.Primarily
papers of Charles B. Evans. College papers in this volume include
correspondence discussions of the Women’s College faculty salaries and “fair
rates.” President Harter’s letter of resignation and correspondence regarding
the search for a new president, fund raising efforts for the “Old Home Fund,” a
scholarship given for an essay in local history, various committee reports and
additional building specifications also appear. Local interest papers include
papers relating to the Newark Opera House Company, town sewer assessments, Jex family
property, and the Eureka Cutting Machine Company. Utilities papers include a
1914 ordinance permitting Wilmington City Electric Company to erect poles in
Newark, correspondence regarding the Wilmington Automatic Telephone Co., and a
1919 ordinance to Diamond State Telephone Company for permission to construct
lines in Newark.

11801 – 120001915 – 1916. Primarily papers of Charles B. Evans; includes
papers relating to Newark Trust and Safe Deposit Company, Wilmington Trust
Company, and Newark City Council sewer lines. College papers included discuss
purchase of properties in Newark for the College, correspondence between the Board
and Pierre S. DuPont about various donations, papers relating to the Sigma Phi
Epsilon Fraternity, information about student scholarship funds, letters about
faculty positions, information about hiring staff and letters of
recommendation. Also included is a list of faculty salaries, information
relating to the women’s college, the New Century Club, and the newly hired
President, S. C. Mitchell.

120001 – 122001916 – 1920. Papers of Charles B. Evans, primarily relating to DelawareCollege. Topics include construction
of dormitories, property acquisition, faculty positions, budgets, summer school
sessions, and the New Century Club. Trustee and President reports are included.
Papers relating to student involvement in World War I, War Department
Correspondence, and protests against military training at Delaware College also
included. Additional papers relating to the Kolloch family, husband of Annie
(Evans) Kolloch also appear.

12201 – 123001918 – 1919.Business
papers of Charles B. Evans. College papers include letters about faculty,
curriculum, and scholarships at the Women’s College and papers about the care
of college grounds, shrubs, and walkways. letters about termination of
employment settlements correspondence with War Department. Newark Trust and
Safe Deposit Company papers, Newark sewer commission correspondence, First
Presbyterian Church papers and Welsh Tract Baptist Church all appear. Legal
papers include the Continental Fibre Company account, various local wills, Jex
family papers including a letter about a car accident in 1919, and mortgage
documents.

12301 – 124501919 – 1921. Business papers of Charles B. Evans. College
papers include property maps, Agricultural Station plans, correspondence about
Dean Hayward, Wolf Hall construction specifications with complaints about the
grading, Samuel C. Mitchell’s Letter of Resignation as President and the search
for a new president, the hiring of a librarian, the support of Harry F. DuPont
and the creation of new DuPont scholarships, fund raising, and the formation of
the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Chapter House. Women’s College salaries,
faculty appointments, and an agreement between the Women’s College and the
local public schools for creating a Teaching Practicum also appear. Many local
surveys and property maps are included. Additional town documents relate to the
water supply and water shortages, the electric lighting plant of Newark,
municipal bond sales, and local property settlements. Legal accounts include incorporation
papers for Delaware Ledger Printing and Publishing Company, a 1920 petition for
divorce, and letters from the Continental Fibre Company. Welsh Tract Baptist
Church papers and First Presbyterian Church papers also appear.

12451 – 126001921 – 1925. Business papers of Charles B. Evans. College
papers include trustee minutes and correspondence about surveying work of
Wilbur T. Wilson. Local interest papers include papers about the Newark Country
Club and Golf course, the Welsh Tract Baptist Church, the First Presbyterian
Church, local cemeteries, David Rose family papers, and Kerr family papers. Legal
papers include incorporation articles for the Newark Fraternal Hall Company, minutes
of the Board of Directors of the United Canneries Corporation, letters to stockholders,
and incorporation articles for the Newark Inn.

12601 – 127001925 – 1929. Business papers of Charles B. Evans. Primarily
town council and legal accounts , he is now the attorney for the town of Newark.
Papers include letters about the Newark Opera House, an ordinance for the
Wilmington Gas Company allowing it to lay pipes and mains, papers about the
construction of a sewage disposal plant and sewer commission issues, and City
council bonds. A 1928 letter about a local woman being denied franchise
appears. Other legal papers include estate settlements, United Cannieries
Company accounts, local church papers, Newark Trust and Safe Deposit Company
papers, and incorporation articles of the Newark Development Company. The will
of H. G. Kollock is also included; it created trusts for a public library in
Newark and for the hospital in Wilmington.

12701 – 128311820,1930 – 1937. Charles
B. Evans papers including correspondence about his position as President of the
Pencader Cemetary Association, Milk Regulations of the Town of Newark Board of
Health, Newark Trust Company and
Farmers Trust Company papers. A note about the death of Charles Black Evans, 14 May 1933. Additional papers
include Kerr and Rathmell Wilson family papers, local property maps,
descriptions of local sites including Oaklands and the Hossinger Farm, and
papers of the New Century Club.

F19“Accounts of payment of Interest to be
credited on Bonds Notes & co deposited

in safe
of Phila Trust & Safe Deposit Company and on Bonds & Notes in Store

Safe”
March, 1874 – July, 1885

“This book contains an account of
credits for interest paid on acct by parties who

do not pay regularly, or annually, or
semiannually when do” 1876 – 1880

F20“Fleisher Bros. Wholesale Clothiers” 1878
– 1880

“Geo.
G. Evans New-Ark Del.” December,
1880 – December, 1884

“Geo
G. Evans New-Ark Delaware” 1885 – 1888

Series II. Day book

F21George G. Evans, day book,1850 – 1868(1 volume)

Contains
lists of workers, hours, accounts and amounts owed.

Series III. Personal
Accounts Ledger

F22Personal and household accounts for the
Evans family, 1850 – 1903.

Series
IV. Business Ledger Books, 1858 – 1904, (7 volumes).

Evans’
account books for the brickyard, store, and Chester County Insurance Company.
Each volume begins with an alphabetical list of account entries; several
accounts extend over many pages. Ledgers itemize purchases and contain
information about credit and payments.

1F23Business Ledger, “No. 2,” 1858 – 1863.

2F24Business Ledger, “F,” 1860 – 1864.

F25Business Ledger, “G,” 1863 – 1867.

F26Business Ledger, “H,” 1865 – 1870.

F27Business Ledger, “I,” 1868 – 1874.

F28Business Ledger, “K,” 1871 – 1877.

3F29Business Ledger, “L,” 1875 – 1904.

Series V. Cash books,
1868 – 1904, (3 volumes)

Chronological records of
the Evans family cash accounts. Deposits recorded include bank dividends, fire
insurance company accounts, railroad investments, profits from interests on
bonds, income from rental properties, and merchandise sales. Lists of debits include
payments to workers and vendors, bills payable, property purchases, building
improvements, tuition fees, media subscriptions, and dental bills.

F30Cashbook, Volume I, 1868 – 1889.

F31Cashbook, Volume 2, 1889 – 1900.

F32Cashbook, Volume 3, 1900 – 1904.

Series
VI. Diaries, 1869 – 1877,(5
volumes)

These small pocket
diaries for various years contain sporadic jottings about accounts,
appointments, fashion, the weather, religion, travels, visitors, and trustee
responsibilities.

3F33Diary, 1869.

Contains notes on the
sale of the Murray farm, reflections on human mortality and his own aging, and
notes on various estates he administered.

Diary, 1870.

Contains agricultural
notes, notes on calf markings, and a political rant about the Democratic Party
and the “white man’s country.”

F34Diary, 1872.

Contains a list of
railroad whistle signals, trustee notes, federal Election notes, medical notes
referring to morphine injections, agricultural notes on livestock and seeds, and
an account of a vacation trip to White Sulphur Springs,
West Virginia. Other sites of the trip
included a visit to the Bull Run Battle Ground and a visit to Washington, D. C.,
to see the treasury building and the White House. This volume also contains
notes on fashionable styles of ball dresses with descriptions of colors, lace,
and satin trims.

Diary, 1874.

Contains medical notes,
agricultural notes with a crop diagram, and a comical entry for March 28th
entitled “Ludicrous Use of the Personal Pronoun He.”

Diary, 1877.

Contains
medical notes, including the use of sulphur to treat diptheria, a list of Delaware
grand jurors, meditations on religion and science, and account notations.

Series
VII. Estate Ledger

F35George G. Evans Estate
Ledger, 1904 – 1906, (1 volume)

Posthumous estate
records of George G Evans, including the settlement of outstanding accounts, income,
and the estate distribution amongst his wife and children.